Pastoral Counseling: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries

Program Overview

Designed for ordained clergy and religious leaders, this program equips individuals with the theoretical foundations and practical competencies needed to deliver compassionate, non-clinical pastoral counseling within faith communities. It emphasizes spiritual guidance, emotional support, and ethical leadership, preparing students to navigate personal, relational, and communal challenges through a faith-informed lens.

• Pastoral Leadership: Explores the responsibilities and ethical frameworks of guiding religious communities, fostering spiritual growth, and managing interpersonal dynamics within congregational settings.
• Counseling Psychology: Introduces core psychological principles relevant to human behavior, emotional development, and interpersonal communication, applied within religious contexts.
• Crisis Intervention: Focuses on immediate response strategies for individuals or groups experiencing trauma, grief, or existential distress, emphasizing presence, active listening, and spiritual accompaniment.
• Individual and Group Counseling Procedures: Trains students in structured approaches to one-on-one and group-based pastoral support, including assessment, goal setting, and reflective dialogue.
• Theological and Spiritual Counseling: Examines how faith traditions, sacred texts, and spiritual practices inform counseling, helping individuals find meaning, purpose, and healing through religious frameworks.
• Pastoral Care: Addresses the holistic support of individuals across life stages, including illness, aging, bereavement, and rites of passage, grounded in compassion and spiritual presence.
• Ministry-Specific Applications: Applies counseling principles to diverse contexts such as youth ministry, family counseling, chaplaincy, and community outreach, enhancing relevance across religious service domains.